Automatic toaster



, H. PETERS 2,036,82

AUTOMATIC TOASTER Filed Oct. 11, 1934 :2 sheets-sheet 1;,

H54 /v P571993. @MM

A T'TOENEYS.

April 7, 1936. H. PETERS AUTOMATIC TCASTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 11, 1934 wrin/rae H54 /v P572795. 7

ATTOE/VEKE Patented Apr. 7,

2,038,826 anrom'ric rossrnn Helen Peters, Valley Stream, a, v. Application October 11 1934, Serial No. "147,838

is invention relates to kitchen appliances and more specifically to an improved appliance iorbetter toasting slices of bread automatically on both sides at". the same time.

improved automatic toaster consists of a he cabinet including means for propelling and keeping in suspension in upright position the shoes oi bread to he toasted therethrough.

e improved means for propelling and beeping uprightiy the slices of bread to be toasted on both sides at the same time form one oi the outstan 1 2- L features of my invention. slices of bread rest vertically on stadill till

edge sides oi the slices rest. To keep the slices oi bread in vertical position between two vertical heating units, guard wires are generally used and set so far apart that the slices inevitably lean toward either heating unit, with no toasting uniiotyas result.

Now, with my newly invented useiul improvements the use of a stationary and moving means between the lower edge sides oil the slices and the heating units is eliminated entirely,because the slices are propelled by opposed sets oi turning star like sprockets without resting .on any stationary or carrying means. With this improved arrangement the slices of bread actually move in suspension and are not standing still on the carrier even it the carrier isin motion.

by the some improvements furthermore the slices of bread are propelled throughout the heating cabinet in upright position without as-v sistance of guard wires, and are automatically lrept at equal distance from the heating units,

without a chance of leaning toward either one,

regardless of the slices With these new and thickness. I useful improvements, the

slices of bread are uniformly toasted; the indi:

vidual flavor or each bread ingredient is 'developed and brought out and sealed in; the sugar in the outside layers of the honeycombed crumb is properly caramelize into golden goodness;

:1 and perfectly changed the tiny shreds of gluten are parched and roasted into crispness to the highest degree.

it attain these objects by the mechanism i1- lustratd in the accompanying drawings, in

which- Figure l is a vertical section of a preferred iorm oi the appliance.

wise-s) Figme? is a longitudinal-section of a preterred form of the appliance, heatingunits being omitted.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to simi- 5 lar parts throughout the several views, the numeral l designates an elevated heating chamher mounted upon a casing or hollow base 2 which is divided into separate compartments 3 and d by a transverse partition. 5. An electric motor t is mounted within the compartment d and the armature shaft l thereof extends for. wardly and carries a worm.- gear t which is in constant mesh with a drive gear 9 hired to the lower end of .a vertical shalt it which rises into 5 the heating cabinet 11 and which shaft is mounted in suitable bearings adjacent its opposite ends. The worm gear and drive gear 9 iorma speed reduction between the motor driven shalt l and the driving shalt it ioria purpose to be presently explained. Fixedly supported within the heating cabinet t are two horizontally opposed spaced electricheating elements Eli and it which radiate hmt inwardly toward each other and are substantial-\ 25 ly flat and rectangular in configuration to provide ample heating surface for thearea of a slice of bread to be toasted during its passage downward therebetween. V v

The top of the heating cabinet it is provided.

with an elongated entranceope it disposed in a plane intermediate the heating elements it and it and of a width andlength to freely receive an ordinary size slice of bread B for toasting purposes. Directly below the opening it is a similar opening it establishing communication between the heating cabinet l and the cbmpartment d through which the toast passes for discharge down a chute M arranged in the compartment d and out through an exit 4m opening ts in the irbnt thereof. The length wheels it, it, ll, and ldare respectively hired .to horizo tally disposed shafts it, 2d, 2!, and it. The sha ts) it and it are vertically alined and journaled in be brackets 23 extending the height oi the heating cabinet i while the vertically alined shafts 2| and 22 areyieldably journaled in upstanding brackets 24. The brackets 23 and 24 are so spaced that the teeth of the star wheels extend into the path of a slice of bread dropped through the opening l3, and the upper and lower sets are so spaced that when a slice of bread is released from the upper set of star wheels, the same will immediately be fed in a continuous movement by the lower set of star wheels in a direction toward the exit opening [4.

The shafts 2| and 22 mounted in the bracket 24 are seated in horizontal slots 25 and 26 respectively, and are urged inwardly by springs 21 and 28 respectively. By yieldably mounting the shafts 2| and 22, the upper and lower sets of feed wheels may facilitate the feeding of different thicknesses of sliced bread in the presence. of the heat from the heating elements I I and I2.

The fixedly journaled shafts l9 and 20 are driven from the vertical shaft ID by means of worms 29 and 30 meshing with gears 3| and 32 respectively, the latter gears being fixed to the shafts l9 and 20 respectively. The star wheels ll and I8 may be termed idlers, but coact with the opposed driven star wheels [5 and I6 and turn therewith during the passage of a piece of bread through the device during a toasting operation.

In practice, assume that a slice of bread B is dropped into the top entrance opening l3, the lower-end of the slice will drop upon the top set of feed wheels I5 and ll. Upon turning on of the motor 5, the driving shaft Ill will impart a slow turning movement to the feed wheel shafts l9 and 20 due to the reduction gearing between the motor shaft 1 and the driving shaft l0. Thus it will be seen that the driving wheels l5 and I6 will turn in a feeding direction at a predetermined rate of speed. It is of course assumed that prior to the insertion of a piece of bread to be toasted, that the current to the heating elements II and I2 has been "turned on which sets up a heating field through which the slice of bread must pass in its downward movement to the exit opening l4 and thence through the chute 44. During the passage of the slice of bread downward, it will be understood that the same is successively engaged by the teeth of the upper and lower sets of star wheels, and which teeth bite or embed themselves in opposite sides of the bread to positively feed the same in a downward direction. By reason of the teeth of the star wheels engaging opposite sides of the bread the edges of the bread are exposed to the heat and will become toasted the same as the opposite sides of the slice. The speed of the feeding means is so timed with respect to the heat that the interval of time which elapses between the placing of a slice of bread into the toaster and its exit therefrom is sufllcient to properly toast the slice evenly. Tests have proven that a period of between 45 seconds and 1%; minutes should elapse during the feeding of a slice of bread in the presence of the heat from the heating elements II and I2. Such interval of time is necessary to produce proper toast for if the intensity of the heat is increased proportionately to an increased speed of the feeding means perfect toastwill not result, as the outer surface of the bread would have a tendency to burn without properly caramelizing the crumb which is the desirable feature of properly toasted bread.

After passing through the passage between the aoaasae heating elements II and I2, the toasted slice of bread will pass through the opening l4 down the chute 44 and out through the exit opening in the front of the casing 2 and onto a platform 33 extending forwardly from the front thereof. I

While I have shown and described what I consider to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that such changes and alterations as come within the scope of the appendedclai'ns may be resorted to if desired.

I claim:

1. In a bread toaster having heating units facing each other, sets of rotating star like wheels for holding in suspension slices of bread to be toasted and for propelling said slices in vertical position between said heating units.

2. A bread toaster comprising a cabinet having heating units facing each other, means for propelling'slices of bread to be toasted between said heating units including opposed sets of star like wheels for supporting and directing the slices of bread to be toasted in the center of the cabinet, in vertical position as they actually move from the entrance towards the exit of the toaster.

3. A bread toaster comprising in combination, of a heating cabinet having heating units facing each other, a feed opening, a discharge open ing, opposite upper and lower sets of rotating star like wheels for supporting and propelling slices of bread to be toasted through the heating cabinet, and spring means for moving backward and forward the star like wheels of all the sets of one side, in order to catch, propel and direct slices of bread of any thickness suitable for toast.

4. A bread toaster comprising a casing having a passage therein for the passage of a slice of bread to be toasted, a pair of opposed heating units respectively disposed on opposite sides of said passage, sets of upper and lower feed wheels disposed in the path of a slice of bread in its movement through said passage, each set of feed wheels including opposed wheels respectively disposed on opposite sides of said passage, and driving means for imparting turning movement to those wheels of the upper and lower sets disposed on one side of said passage.

5. A bread toaster comprising a casing having a passage therein for the passage of a slice of break to be toasted, a pair of opposed heating units respectively disposed on opposite sides of said passage, sets of upper and lower feed wheels disposed in the path of a slice of bread in its movement through said passage, each set of feed Wheels including opposed wheels respectively disposed on opposite sides of said passage, and driving means for imparting turning movement to those wheels of the upper and lower sets disposed on one side of said passage, the feed wheels disposed at the other side of said passage being idler feed wheels, and yieldable bearings for the idler feed wheels to facilitate movement of the same toward and away from the opposed driven feed wheels to compensate for the passage of bread of various thicknesses through said passage.

6. A bread toaster comprising a casing having an entrance opening in the top and an exit opening at the bottom thereof, a pair of fixed spaced heating elements within said casing between which a slice of bread to be toasted is adapted to pass in its movement from said entrance to said exit, sets of spaced opposed upper and lower tooth feed wheels mounted on a plane llil) aosaaao intermediate said heating elements, in the path of a slice of bread inserted in said entrance trance to said exit, vertically alined driving opening, means for imparting driving rotation. to certain of said upper and lower sets of tooth Wheels to cause the teeth of said tooth-wheels to'embed themselves in opposed sides of a slice of bread to support the slice of bread in vertical suspension and feed the same downwardly tovvard said exit opening.

y 7. A bread toaster comprising a casing having an entrance opening in the top and an exit opening at the bottom thereof, a pair of fixed spaced heating elements rm-1 said easrhetween which a slice of bread to he toasted is adapted to pass in its movement from said entooth wheels, vertically alined idler tooth wheels horizontally aimed with said driven tooth Wheels and smced therefrom, the teeth of the opposed wheels heine in the path of movement of a slice of bread dropped lntosaid entrance opening, d motor-driven"means enclosed within said casing for imparting driving movement to said driving 10 tooth Wheels.

has. 

